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“The Religious Center of the City of Knossos: Excavations of a Plot in the Modern Village” by Dr. Athanasia Kanta

Thursday, November 2, 2017 - 5:30pm

Rainey Auditorium, Penn Museum, 3260 South Street

“The Religious Center of the City of Knossos: Excavations of a Plot in the Modern Village”

Dr. Athanasia Kanta

Director Emerita, 23rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Director of the Study Center of Cretan and Mediterranean Archaeology at Monastiraki Amari, Rethymnon

5:30 pm reception, 6:00 pm lecture

Excavations at the upper village of Knossos in recent years have brought to light the religious center of the town. Our rescue excavation took place for a few months in 2011 and 2012 and then continuously from 2013 to March 2017. A total of 525 square meters have been excavated to a maximum depth of 8.5 m.

Although the area gave a hint that remains of a cultic character might be expected, nothing prepared us for the diachronic evidence of cult from the Protopalatial period (1900 BC) to the Roman period (2nd century AD) and perhaps later. Architectural finds combined with sculpture and artifacts of precious metals clearly indicate the way cultural tradition is transmitted through the centuries.

This lecture is sponsored by:

INSTAP Study Center for East Crete

Center for Ancient Studies, University of Pennsylvania

Graduate Group in Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania

Graduate Group in Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, University of Pennsylvania